Ooarai's Tin Men Troopers
by AK-103
Summary: Ooarai was given the slip once again, but the girls weren't going to sit down quietly. With a bigger and newer goal, they set sail for the horizon to achieve ultimate victory. But... it will not be possible without some addition, mechanized help. Meet Mithril Defense Corp. They'll be girls' armored guardians for the rest of the season.


**If I get a dollar for every unexpected stories I released... then... I'll still be... poor.**

 **Well that sucks.**

 **Anyway, here you go, a Girls und Panzer fanfiction from me. Not much will happen in this first chapter, because duh, and I should probably tell you that I'm not a very good writer.**

 **I just write what I think is fun. And if I managed to attract the attention of a few losers who actually liked the things I wrote, then, good for them.**

 **Oh, expect OC's... lots of them. And expositions too, since I'm fond of doing that in my stories.**

* * *

"...Kaichou... what do we do?"

That was a question she could not answer.

Why? It was simple, she didn't know the answer to it.

"Those MEXT assholes... I swear... they're just screwing with us at this point!"

"Momo-chan... calm down..."

Kadotani Anzu was showing a rare emotion, or rather, she was not showing any in the first place. To those who knew her well, even she herself, knew that she was not one to keep her thoughts to herself if it's involved with anything related to her school or Sensha-do in general. The Student Council President was quiet. She was sitting behind her desk with the rigidness of a statue.

"S-Surely the Federation wouldn't allow this...?"

Yuzu, bless her heart, was still trying to grasp reasons as they slipped away from her reach. It was a form of natural self defense mechanism that all humans knew very well: denial. Her otherwise normally cheerful and peaceful expression had been replaced by something else entirely. Despite that fact, she'd tried to sound optimistic about the situation.

Kawashima Momo was not as optimistic as her Vice President counterpart, in fact, she had been filled with nothing but despair ever since they broke out the news. A fierce scowl, fiercer than anything that anyone had seen her make, was present on her face. Her fuse was long gone and all that remained now was the bomb, ready to explode.

"The Federation can't do shit if they don't get permission from MEXT!" Momo's voice couldn't be any harsher. "Heck, they'd be overstepping their boundaries if if they tried to reach out!"

Yuzu recoiled from her friend's explosive outburst. She was no stranger to her friend's violent tendency to erupt like a dormant volcano, but this time, she could feel that Momo was very serious. Everything, from the way her fists clenched, the tone of her voice, the look on her face... everything was different.

The Vice President could only direct her hopeful gaze at the President, but to her disappointment, she was still in the same statue-like state she was in moments ago. Shutting her eyes tight, Yuzu prayed to whatever deities existed to do something about the situation.

Or...

 _'Nishizumi-san... please, do something!'_

But she knew that nothing was going to happen.

It was very sudden. They dropped the news like they dropped the atom; without any warning or prior knowledge. And just like the atom... the impact it left was devastating, yet unlike the atom, there was no need for a second impact.

Japan's Ministry of Education – MEXT – had sent them a letter bearing the news of Ooarai's removal from the Sensha-do program and active status as a school ship. Meaning: those bastards were trying to shut Ooarai down... again. And unlike last time, there was no room for negotiations now. There was no university Sensha-do team for them to defeat in order to preserve their school from getting scrapped. And… there was no way out of it, it seemed.

Anzu reached for the envelope containing the news that MEXT had sent them earlier today. This drew out the two's attention. No matter how many times she read it, it wouldn't change anything. They were going to shut down their school and that was final. Nothing they could do about it. Anzu's small palms began gripping the paper envelope tighter than a baseball pitcher would his ball.

"Like hell they're going to do that."

Both Yuzu and Momo's ears twitched. They could barely hear it...

"Like hell they're going to do that!" The second time confirmed their hearing. Their President had responded. Anzu shook her head, gazing right into her subordinates' eyes. "We're not going to let them pull something like this again. Not on my watch."

Excitement and pride welled within Yuzu's and Momo's chest. This was it. That was Ooarai's Student Council President, Kadotani Anzu. She might be small and short, noisy and laid back... but when it came down to it, she knew what to do.

Anzu discarded the envelope and placed it back on her desk. She directed a look towards Momo first. "Kawashima, gather up the girls and have them assembled in the garage. We're going to tell them everything." Even her voice took on a serious edge to go along with her look. Next was Yuzu. "Koyama, call in Captain Chouno, we'll need a word with her and after that, and tell the staff to dismiss everyone early today."

"Yes!" Both of her subordinates replied as one.

No doubt, their President was going to think of something. When she thought of something, she would then save the school. Everything was not going to be same as last time, however, this they knew... but regardless, Anzu looked like she knew what she was doing, like always.

However, before they were off doing as they were instructed, Yuzu had to ask. "What are you going to do, Kaichou?" She asked, her voice full of curiosity. Whatever plans that went through her president's head may have seemed crazy at first, but so far, things had worked out quite well.

Anzu smiled, but it was different from her normal ones. It lacked the usual playful and laid back nature. It was not born from the enjoyment of consuming sweet potato flavored chips, nor was it due to something as silly as not having to sign paperwork. It was a smile that promised of plans that would save the school. That would save all of them.

"Me? I'm just going to phone a friend."

* * *

Ooarai could be considered a normal school a few months ago. However, due to the current reputation it had received – and was still receiving – it had brought itself underneath the spotlight. They had been declared targets from other schools, mostly regional, that practiced Sensha-do in their curriculum.

While most schools would consider the kind of attention they were receiving in a much more positive light, Ooarai could not really do that. Despite their performance, the aftermath of a match was still an expensive thing. Repair costs, resupply of ammunition... these had been made possible only through the efforts and favors that they had to call from contacts. Even if they were to win every match they were to fight in, they could not always maintain the upkeep of tank maintenance, especially with how expensive tankery supplies were these coming months. All this time, Anzu's resourcefulness had been a very important asset for them.

But even the girls knew that their Student Council President's influence would only get them so far.

In MEXT's case, it seemed that they took the university's team defeat as a downright insult to their reputation. They were not exactly subtle with their previous attempts at closing down Ooarai, so naturally, of course they would be pissed knowing that they failed.

"Miporin, what's with the sudden call?"

Nishizumi Miho returned her friend's, and radio operator, look with that of confusion, with her head tilted a little bit to the right. "I do not know, Saori-san. But whatever it is, Koyama-san sounded very serious just now."

Knowing full well how easy going the Vice President was normally, Saori had to wonder just what was going on even further. "Hmm... that's weird." Muttered the girl. "We're nearing our finals yet we're about to receive an important announcement from the student council..."

Miho shared Saori's exact thoughts.

"Maa, let us just hope that it's good news." Isuzu Hana pitched in, acting as the group's voice of optimism. Beside her, Reizei Mako had been quiet all this time, but that was not strange, considering how she normally was.

What was strange, however, was Akiyama Yukari's silence. Miho, noticing that their usual team dynamics had been going on quietly, sneaked a glance at the resident tank enthusiast. Yukari was walking with an unreadable expression on her face, and for once, Miho could not tell what was going on with her.

"Yukari-san?"

"Ah, y-yes?" Miho's sudden call snapped her out of whatever personal musing she was at moments ago. The fluffy haired girl smiled, looking at her commander with a far more enthusiastic look than the one she had before. "What is it, Commander Nishizumi?"

Miho grew even more concerned. "Is there anything wrong? You seem to be in thought." Inquired Ooarai's overall Sensha-do commander.

"A-Ah! I'm fine, I'm fine!" Yukari was quick to dismiss her friend's worry, waving her arms in a rapid manner as if she was trying to dismiss Miho's worry in a literal manner. "I was just thinking of a quicker way to reload the shells into the chamber!"

Hearing Yukari's reason reassured Miho a little bit. Even though it was not really convincing, Miho attempted to dismiss any slight hint of uneasiness, but the way her own smile was crooked showed that she was not doing a very good job at doing it.

"Well, in any case, we better hurry up and meet the rest of the girls in the garage."

Everyone in the Anglerfish team nodded in agreement to what their tank commander just said, continuing their quiet walk towards the garage. It took them no longer than five minutes to reach the garage, the short amount of time needed to reach it was contributed due to the fact that they were hanging out near the lockers during recess.

Miho never got used to it, but seeing her fellow students waving and greeting her as she passed through the hallways earlier was the kind of attention that she did not mind receiving. She liked to think that she did good at contributing for Ooarai's front page fame, but that wouldn't be possible if it weren't for her friends who were there with her.

"Oh, commander, good morning!"

"Commander Nishizumi, hello!"

"Hi commander, you too there Guderian."

"Takebe-senpai, Isuzu-senpai, Mako-senpai, good morning!"

The garage was already filled with people, standing around their respective tanks. Miho noticed something was missing, however.

"Eh, where's the president?" Saori asked, her voice grabbing the attention of multiple people. "Wasn't she the one who called us out here?"

"Ah," Anglerfish team turned their heads towards the source of the voice. ",the student council is going to be here later, we're afraid." Spoke the familiar voice.

"Why is that, Sodoko?" Mako questioned the bob haired Public Morals Committee President.

"Don't call me that, Reizei-san." Midoriko barked like a fierce dog at the nickname that she was, unfortunately, better known for. Huffing with a roll of her eyes, she continued her explanation. "Koyama-san informed me that they'd be late due to student council related work... but what bothered me was the fact that they didn't tell me what exactly 'student council related work' was..."

Miho narrowed her eyes, blinking several times. "Hm? They didn't tell you anything aside from the fact that they'd be late?" As inquisitive her voice may be, it was born from genuine wonder.

Midoriko shook her head, eyes cast downwards. "No, I'm afraid. We tried calling them, but it seemed that they silenced their phones."

At this news, Miho turned to Saori. "Saori-san?"

Saori, who was already with a phone next to her ear, shook her head. "Sorry Miporin, but they aren't answering." She closed her flip phone, pocketing it back inside her skirt's pocket. "Just what is going on here today...?"

Suffice to say, it was beginning to make Miho – and she believed the rest of them – uneasy. The StuCo President rarely called sudden meetings like this and during those times that they had, it was usually done to discuss Sensha-do match tactics. But they weren't about to participate in a match or anything like that, so why the sudden gathering?

In any case, everything smelled fishy.

The sound of metal skidding against the cement floor drew everyone's attention. Someone had just opened the door to the garage and it was none other than the Student Council members themselves. Upon first glance, Miho knew that something was up.

Momo was carrying a briefcase, Koyama was not smiling and Anzu did not have a bag of potato crisps with her. The tenseness of air was felt by everyone, if the sudden moment of silence was any indication. The girls all lined up as per usual, with their respective teams, as the Student Council members took the front and their undivided attention at the same time.

"Alright, all of you, we have an important announcement to make!" Momo's voice boomed, echoing throughout the entire garage. This was one of the reasons why they were having their meeting in the garage, as the place allowed for clearer speech with how it was designed.

Immediately, everyone paid the StuCo members better attention. At this point, it was obvious that the news that they were about to hear was not a good one, or at least, one that would make them jump in joy. The atmosphere was far too heavy for them to even smile, explaining the almost pensive look on everyone's faces.

Momo looked sideways, her look was returned by a nod from the StuCo president herself. After the sign of confirmation, she continued. "It's been decided by the Ministry of Education that Ooarai is to be closed down for good this time."

Cries of protest and other form verbal disagreement echoed throughout the garage. There were notable girls who voiced their displeasure and disagreement with the news more verbally than the rest; Erwin and her groupies, the freshmen and the Public Morals Committee members themselves. But that did not mean Miho's team did not voice out their own disagreements.

"What?!" The perm haired radio operator of Anglerfish team gasped with a stomp of her foot. "That's impossible! They can't do that again!" She swiveled direction to the Commander herself. "Miporin, they can't do that, right?!"

"I-I don't think so." Overwhelmed by her friend's outburst, Miho stuttered out her reply. "But to do it again... why and what caused this?" Unknown to herself, her own voice was beginning to increase in volume. "What did Ooarai do?"

"We didn't do anything, Nishizumi." Anzu took over Momo's position as the speaker. Everyone's attention returned to the StuCo members, but they were barely able to contain their own outrage. "This was, probably, their way of giving us the finger after their first failed attempt, but now, we've no chance of striking up a bargain or compromise... at least not right now."

"Then what should we do?!" Someone from the freshman asked. "We can't let them do that to our school!" Revealed to be Azusa Sawa, one could see the outrage on her face, if not desperation too if the tiny speck of tears staining the corner of her eyes were any indication.

"Don't worry, we didn't call all of you here just to drop the bad news." Anzu waved her hand, a close lipped smile forming on her face. "We have a way out of this, but it will something big." The smile on her face faded, transforming to a bitter grimace. "Something way bigger than anything we've ever been through."

"Yes, Kaichou's right." Momo continued. She then began opening the briefcase she was carrying, revealing its content to the gathering girls. The girls saw papers inside the briefcase, but what they were was unknown. "Everyone, please pass these on and take a look for yourselves."

Anzu called in the tank commanders of each team to gather papers for their respective teams. Miho walked, her steps fueled by curiosity over the nature of the papers. Yet, at the same time, there was no hiding the hesitation she's feeling. Once she reached Momo, she asked her a question. "Kawashima-san, what's going on?"

Momo pursed her lips, but still maintained a tough front. "It's better if you see it for yourself, Nishizumi."

And Miho did exactly that. She grabbed one of the fliers, turning it so that she could read the content. The moment her eyes landed on the front page of the paper, they went wide. Her hand shivered, threatening to drop the paper.

"This is..." Miho trailed off; she could not believe what she was holding. As she was immersed in the shock, several similar reactions were being made from the team captains all around. She made haste, returning to her team in an instant.

"What's wrong Miporin?" Saori asked the youngest Nishizumi with a high pitched voice. "Let us see that!" She took on the initiative of distributing the papers to the rest of Anglerfish team.

Saori and the rest of Anglerfish team read the paper flier and all of them had the same reaction as the one Miho made moments ago. The team captain was gripping the hem of her skirt with enough force to leave behind folding marks.

"T-This is crazy! There's no way we can participate in an international Sensha-do championship!"

Upon hearing Saori's loud outburst, Anzu closed her eyes, her arms crossed. Murmurs and arguments broke out within the girls, if not contained, things would get chaotic.

"QUIET!"

At that moment, Momo's loud shout for attention was the only thing that made silence exist once again. Anzu thanked her PR Officer, before speaking once again. "Yes, it's crazy. But you saw it right; we're gonna be participating in an international Sensha-do match or Tankery, as it's known internationally."

"Kaichou, how would this save us and our school?" Erwin, who was still gripping the flier, shot the StuCo President a question that had been lingering in everyone's mind for a while. "Don't tell me that...""

"Yup, you guessed right." Anzu nodded. She grabbed one flier for herself, showing it to her audience. "In order to prevent MEXT from closing down our school for good... we will have to win the international championship."

"That's absurd!"

"We can't do that!"

"Going against other countries' Sensha-do teams?!"

"That's impossible for us!"

"QUIET!"

Momo's voice acted as the force that split apart the Red Sea, but instead of splitting a large body of water, she made everyone quiet. "It's a big goal, I know. But this is the only way to prevent MEXT from shutting down this school for good."

"B-But... we won the nationals didn't we?" Karina muttered in a voice adequate enough to be heard by everyone in the vicinity. "Why would they do something like that again?"

"Maybe it's their ego getting hurt or something more personal, I don't know." Anzu shook her head. "But what we do know is that funding was never the problem here. Nope." A cynical smile formed on the StuCo President's face, and with the way her fist was clenched, it made for a rather intimidating sight. "If funding was ever the problem, then Anzio would've received this whole nonsense way before we do."

That was right. If it was a matter of financial status, Anzio was doing a far worse job than Ooarai was. Their school had to cut down on expenses far more than what Ooarai had gone through in the past few years, and unlike them Ooarai, Anzio had not been doing well enough in order to solve its financial difficulties.

"Regardless of their reason for closing us down... we will retaliate by winning the international and prove not only MEXT, but also the world, that Ooarai is a great school." Then, Anzu began to single out one particular person out of all the Sensha-do participants. "Nishizumi!"

"Y-Yes!" The feeble tank commander responded, jittery. Despite being shaken, her Kuromorimine training had contributed well in her vigilance.

"We know that this is a big request." Anzu started speaking, her voice becoming softer and more personal than it was before. "And downright unreasonable... but we will count on you to lead us through this like you did before."

"N-No way..." Miho took a step back, as if she was pushed back by the impact of Anzu's request. "T-This is... this is way too big for me to handle!"

"But you won't be handling everything alone." Anzu said, while the rest of the girls nodded in acknowledgment. "In addition to all of us being here, we will be receiving extra help from our friends."

At that last bit of news, Miho blinked. "Y-You mean...?"

"Yup, The Ooarai Compound Team will be in service once more!" Shouted the pigtailed StuCo President.

Suddenly, everyone's spirit was lifted up after knowing that they wouldn't have to go through this mountain of a goal alone. Working with the people that they have worked with before put them at ease, considering the huge advantage that they will receive.

"More of this will be discussed in the student council room later on, so team leaders, please meet us there after lunch." All team leaders nodded in affirmation of the order. Seeing their nods, Anzu let out a breath of relief. "Now, we're stepping into the core of this meeting. Tankery, which is the world's term for Sensha-do will be a lot different than our normal matches."

"Hm, why is that?" Aya asked, her twintails shifting from the movement of her head.

"Well, for once, tanks won't be the only thing fighting in the field." Judging from the gasps of surprise and shocked look most of the girls were making, Anzu concluded that not everyone was knowledgeable about the international view on Tankery. "Though tanks will be the main focus, Tankery incorporates a lot of infantry warfare."

"So, so, there'll be other ground units other than tanks?" Yukari chirped questioningly, getting all attention on her.

"Yes, that's right." Anzu confirmed, nodding. "Foot soldiers, artillery, small arm weapons... everything."

This caused murmurs to erupt within the garage. Anzu could not blame them for being so... new to this whole thing. Tankery and Sensha-do were two sides of the same coin. Tankery embodied the sportsmanship and competitive nature of Senshado and even though this measured up to a certain degree in Sensha-do, the competitiveness of the sport was not exaggerated. On the other hand, Sensha-do embodied the spiritual part of Tankery, seeing it as a form of martial arts that encouraged self esteem and develop character building values for women.

"We're aware that this is new to all of us, so I encourage you to learn more about the international concept of Sensha-do." Anzu raised the folded flier, pinching it in between two of her fingers. "Everything from their rules and strategies, even if we're familiar with ours, will help you greatly in our future matches."

Within Anglerfish team, its members were having a discussion of their own.

"Hooh boy..." Yukari sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is going to be tough, yeah?"

"Totes..." Saori groaned. "Miporin, do you think we stand a chance against other countries' Sensha-do teams? They gotta be, like, experienced aren't they?"

Miho laughed, but it was an awkward one. "I don't know, Saori-san. While Sensha-do is an international sport known all over the world, Japan's concept and the rest of the world's is very different. We see it both as a sport and form of martial art, but to the people out there... it's just another competitive sport like football or soccer."

"Hm... have you watched any international Tankery match, Miho-san?" Inquired the tallest of the group, Hana.

"Yes, of course." The commander's tone took a somber turn. "But... not even Kuromorimine had ever made it into the semi-finals of any international match."

"Eeh... that's scary!" With her hands gripping her temples, Saori descended further into hopelessness. "Don't tell me that they're super strong or something like that..."

Miho hummed, her face contorting to a thoughtful expression. "Hmm... as far as strength goes, it's more or less the same as it is here. Some teams have more tanks than others, some has less tanks. If we're talking about countries... then there's always each countries' respective tank warfare doctrine... but, honestly, what I'm more concerned about is the way they fight."

"Why?" Mako asked. "It shouldn't be that different, right?"

Miho licked her lips, her eyes wandering off to the distant window of the garage.

"Wouldn't be too sure on that one, Mako-san..."

* * *

 **36°08'03.4"N 44°41'04.9"W, somewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean...**

* * *

"Gospel, how goes that upgrade on the T-51?"

"You mean the titanium plating? It's superb! We could take on the smaller tank shells with these!"

The German word _panzer_ means armor, derived from the French word _pancier_. During both world wars, the word had been used to refer to tanks, most notably German tanks.

"Those shipment we got from that deal Glory did with the Yanks sure turned out to be good, didn't it?"

"Sure did!"

Power Armors.

While they were not widely known nor used in any major armed conflicts in the world, their concept had been there for the past few centuries. In Medieval times, knights wore metallic suits of armor that protected against swords and other sorts of physical harm. Time did this concept good by bringing better metal to be used in production and better design as generation passed. When men began considering that putting men inside suit of standalone armor was dangerous, they developed armored cavalry units to aid them in war. These were the tanks people knew and loved today, armored cavalry units designed to both capable of dealing and sustaining heavy damage.

However, it seemed that men did not abandon the idea of standalone armored protection fully.

Sometime during the peak of World War Two, the concept of armored heavy infantry was reintroduced despite the fact that there existed tanks. However, unlike their earlier counterparts, these heavy infantry units were capable of dealing real damage while being completely mobile at the same time.

Encased in maximum protection made out of the toughest metal of that time period, they had the toughness of a small tank and the mobility of a lone infantry soldier. This meant they were easier to deploy, capable of carrying more than a standard infantry soldier. What made this possible was the frame design of the armor that was used. Rather than wearing each pieces individually like Medieval knight would, soldiers would instead enter a humanoid frame encased with armor pieces.

However, the true genius lies not on concept, but the design that made the whole thing work. A normal person, regardless of form or built, would never be able to operate an armored frame on their own. They would need something to help them deal with the weight. Using the technology available during that time, these suits of armor were operated through the aid of steam and electrical means. Soldiers would need an existing form of power or energy in order to, pun not intended, power their armor. Hence the name Power Armor.

"Sheesh... I can't believe these things used to have huge ass motors on their back just so that it could walk..."

"You tell me. Thank god for science..."

However, due to technological advances, these power armors have had an upgrade. Now, power armors were capable of getting power from solar and kinetic energy. Though their main source of power was still the very powerful uranium powered battery located behind and underneath the frame, solar and kinetic sources of energy prevented units from fully deactivating.

They were no longer powered through the use of large motors that needed to be cranked or manually activated once in a while. In fact, it was due to this reason that power armors only saw little use during the war. While the concept was tempting, it was impractical to be put on the front lines. They only saw use for defense, meaning that users were stationed mostly at bases rather than the battlefield. But there were instances when heavy infantries were deployed with one or two units of power armor.

"Hey, make sure to check the hydraulics on the one at bay three. Simon said that it's acting up again."

"Yeah, yeah."

Despite its potential significance as a tool of war... it had not seen any real conflicts aside from a few minor skirmishes. However, that changed when Tactic-ops was a thing. Similar sports existed, yes, such things like Tankery – a sports in which people simulated tank warfare – and even Aerialry – in which people practices aerial dogfighting as a sport. This was an era where power armors truly shine, seeing as it would find more use in the sport.

But, even so, power armors were not used in all Tactic-ops sports. Since the entire concept of power armor blurred the lines between infantry and artillery fighting, which was why they were not as popular as other military ground equipment like tanks and such.

"Glenn, you have a call."

Glenn Willhelm Tobias was what people would call a 'slinky bastard'. Bastard – not in the illegitimate sense mind you – as in a jerk who would laugh at other people's unfortunate happenings. But did that mean he's incapable of feeling human emotions such as sympathy, pity and condolence?

No. Of course not.

Glenn might be a jerk... but he was a person who would never ignore people who were in trouble.

"Who's it from?" When he opened his mouth, his face contorted into an expression reminiscent of someone who had just swallowed a lemon whole. "Ugh...I need stop drinking orange juice before brushing my teeth."

The person who had her head peeked inside Glenn's office snorted in mirth at her superior's displeasure. "Told you it was a bad idea." She did not miss the glare Glenn sent her way. "Anyway, she didn't tell who she was. Just that she's an old friend."

"Thank you Claire... and tell Gospel to give you a good screwing for me." The boy seated said with the calmness of an enlightened Buddha.

"And you can tell Glory to give you a pegging for me yourself too, _leader_." But the girl returned the boy's passive-aggressive attitude with something more transparent. Her sneer looked look it could burn an entire barrel of oil.

Raising his finger in the sign of the bird, Glenn scoffed while the girl shut the door with such force that it rattled the entire wooden frame. Sighing, Glenn restlessly reached for the phone that was within an arm's length. Pressing the correct number, he then brought it close to his ear.

"Hello, this is Glenn speaking."

" _Glenn?"_

Glenn's jade-like eyes went wide. His grip on his phone tightened, while his leg ceased moving. His bottom lip quivered, but it soon returned normal, granting him the ability to speak again.

"A-Anzu?" He had to readjusted his sitting position, taking on a straighter pose with his other hand on the table. "T-This is Anzu, right? The little red apple Anzu?"

The female voice from the other end of the line chortled, taking a few seconds before she could return to the call. _"Still with that nickname? Damn, looks like you really missed me, huh?"_

Feeling warmness enveloping his cheeks, Glenn coughed, clearing both his thoughts and throat while shrugging off the feeling of embarrassment. "N-Not necessarily... but this is Anzu, right? Kadotani Anzu?" There was a particular feel in the way he asked that question.

" _Yeah... it's me."_ Anzu replied with equal softness in her voice. _"It's been seven years, huh?"_

"Seven years... whew..." Glenn took time to lean his back on the backrest of his swivel chair, his eyes directed at the ceiling of his office. "It has been that long, huh?" he blinked his eyes repeatedly, shrugging off nostalgia off his head. "Anyway, what are you calling me for? If this was just to say hi, I would've come to Japan myself..."

" _Yeah, I'm not calling you just to say something like that."_ Giggled the feminine voice. _"Listen, Glenn... I... we need your help."_

With the way Anzu said it, it made Glenn's effort of relaxing useless. He was back to sitting straight immediately, any hint of relief no longer present on his face. "What happened?"

" _They planned to shut down my school."_ Anzu said with lingering traces of spite. Glenn could easily picture her clenching her fist behind the phone. _"But we don't plan to let that happen. Not again."_

Glenn could feel the sheer heaviness in her voice. It seemed that Anzu had been thinking a lot... if anything, she sounded frustrated and restless.

"What can we do, Anzu?" Glenn asked with genuine eagerness. "Anything we can do, we'll do it."

Glenn sure he heard Anzu taking in a deep breath of air. _"The International Tankery Championship."_ The boy gripped the handle of the phone harder. _"...we need to win it to ensure that Ooarai wouldn't be closed down and we need your and your people's help in order to win it."_

Glenn could not give an immediate reply. He was still taking Anzu's request, doing a rather stable job at it. "Wow, that's... that's one big request there."

Anzu's mirthful snort came from the other end of the line. " _Funny, the word 'big' is in the kanji for Ooarai."_ But Glenn could not share any humor with her joke.

"The international championship..." The blonde haired leader muttered. "We've never participated in any major events, much less something that big." Closing his eyes, Glenn sighed. "I'm not sure if we could help you win the internationals... but we'll do our goddamn best for you and your school, Anzu."

" _Thank you, Glenn... thank you... I really mean it."_

"Hey now, don't cry. You can't cry after asking me to do something as big as this."

A chuckle followed by a sniff. _"Yeah. Once again, thank you, Glenn."_

"Anything for my friend." Smiling, Glenn responded in a very mellow voice.

* * *

 **I'm not a tank buff, I'm more of a gun nut... so, please, if I screw up when writing these... don't fist my ass dry.**

 **Use some lube, at least.**

 **Oh, and, uh, I'll be in Hong Kong for the following week for vacation. So... uh, don't expect any updates from me, kay?**


End file.
